The Fire by Night: Book Review

• Author: Teresa Messineo   
• First Published: 2017
• Genre: Historical Fiction   
• Rating: ★★★★★

Two nurses in the throes of World War 2, one on the Western Front, and one deep in the East. What happens to them? Do they make it out alive? You'll have to read the book to find out.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, but I'll try to contain myself in the interest of spoiling nothing. Teresa Messineo has well earned these 5-stars with her debut book because it is powerful, very well-researched, and it doesn't pull punches.

In her writing she covers so many different elements of this war. Of course she covers love and loss, just like every other book set during wars and during this era in particular. What sets this one apart is that she really goes into how this war affected people psychologically, from being completely numb to the surrounding attrocities, to having hallucinations, of what you'll have to read to find out, and more. She does this in such an effortless way that it doesn't scream oh, woes me but is a sort of antagonist in its own right, with its own life and intensity. As the story builds, so does the relationship and struggles with those in the war and their deteriorating mental health.

I'll be honest, there were points I had to put this book down because it felt too real. No, it's not a graphic telling of what nurses in the war saw, and it's not oozing, gushing, seeping, and leaking through the covers, it's honest in the reactions that people would have had during the war, for better or for worse. There a sense of numbness that bounces back and forth between hope and hopelessness that draws you in and makes you feel joy and despair right along with these characters, not just the nurses. I think this book is a fantastic reminder of the strength not just of humanity, but especially of those who went through this war and who survived it.

The final point I'll hit on that I love about this novel is that it takes place beyond the Western Front. Sure, there are some books that also go into the training in The United States, rounding up troops in Canada, training and departure in the United Kingdom, and of course the camps in the thick of it all, but this went beyond that. I love that this novel also touched on a part that I am admittedly way less familiar with and that's what went on in Asia. The fact that we got to glimpse at what a Japanese prisoner of war camp was and to understand more about the war as it happened on that side of the Earth really sold this whole novel to me. This novel has definitely made me want to read more about the war over in Asia, as well as more about people who aren't those in the camps and the soldiers, although their stories are also important to know, but I want to know more about others in the war. Those who lost their homes and had to flee, those who aided the soldiers like doctors, nurses, transport drivers, communications experts, and so on. 

Are you a fan of books about the world wars? Do you have any recommendations of books I should read about the world wars? What are the elements of these books that draw you in? Does this one sound like it's for you?

Cheers!